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MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October, 2015. Kyle Alexander Romine took the top spot with his horror thriller “The Keeper of the Crows.” Darla Henry’s “3-5-7 Model Workbook” was the top nonfiction title in the #2 spot.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for October, 2015 (by Revenue)

Rank

Last Month

Title

Author

Category

1

NEW

The Keeper of the Crows

Kyle Alexander Romines

Thriller Fiction

2

—

The 3-5-7 Model Workbook

Darla Henry

Counseling

3

22

The Bronze Dagger

Marie Sontag

YA Fiction

4

—

The Bipolar Millionaire and the Operation

John E Wade II

Memoir

5

7

The Alabaster Jar

Marie Sontag

YA Fiction

6

4

Capital Murder

Chris Papst

Investigation

7

—

Rising Hope

Marie Sontag

YA Fiction

8

8

The Segregated Georgia School for the Deaf

Ron Knorr & Clemmie Whatley

History

9

—

The Lurking Man

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

10

NEW

Blue Lines Up In Arms

James Craig Atchison

Detective Fiction

11

15

The Wolf of Britannia Part I

Jess Steven Hughes

Historical Fiction

12

NEW

The Devil Tree II: The Calling

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

13

28

Jesus the Phoenician

Karim El Koussa

Religious History

14

16

The B Team

Alan Mindell

Sports Fiction

15

—

The Devil’s Grasp

Brian Koscienski & Chris Pisano

Fantasy Fiction

16

—

The Sinful Man

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

17

—

A Pennsylvania Mennonite and the California Gold Rush

Lawrence Knorr

History

18

2

The 3-5-7 Model

Darla Henry

Counseling

19

—

Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos

Beth Lancione & Kathy Haney

Childrens

20

—

Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight

Beth Lancione & Kathy Haney

Childrens

21

18

Winter of the Metal People

Dennis Herrick

Historical Fiction

22

30

Pit Bulls

Anthony Julian

History

23

NEW

White River Monster

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

24

—

Freemasons at Gettysburg

Sheldon Munn

History

25

29

Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last

Mike Campbell

History

26

—

The Cursed Man

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

27

—

The Devil Tree

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

28

—

Forts, Forests, and Flintlocks

John Moore

History

29

—

The View from Four Foot Two

Judi Markowitz

Medical Memoir

30

20

That Night at Surigao

Ernie Marshall

History

Sunbury Press had a record October, topping October 2014 by 32%. Year-to-date sales are up 83% year-over-year.

Kyle Alexander Romine’s “The Keeper of the Crows” started strong out of the gate thanks to seasonal interest and author activities. Darla Henry’s “The 3-5-7 Model Workbook” placed due to orders for conferences in Canada. The 3-5-7 guidebook was also on the list at #18 John E Wade II’s “The Bipolar Millionaire” returned the charts at #4 thanks to interest in New Orleans. Marie Sontag’s three YA fiction titles “The Bronze Dagger,” “The Alabaster Jar,” and “Rising Hope” were at 5, 7, & 9 on the chart due to invetory purchases for author appearances. Chris Papst’s “Capital Murder” held at #6 as the author appeared on numerous radio programs nationwide. “The Segregated Georgia School for he Deaf,” by professors Ron Knorr and Clemmie Whatley of Mercer University, clung to #8, and continues to sell steadily in Dixie. Keith Rommel nabbed 6 of the top 30 spots with “The Lurking Man” (9), “The Devil Tree II: The Calling” (12), “The Sinful Man” (16), “White River Monster” (23), “The Cursed Man” (26), and “The Devil Tree” (27) primarily due to author appearances at conventions. James Craig Atchison rounded out the top 10 with his debut novel “Blue Lines Up In Arms.” Jess Steven Hughes’ novel “The Wolf of Britannia Part I” moved up to #11 due to author appearances in Washington and Oregon. “Jesus the Phoenician,” Kareem El Koussa’s controversial history of the Son of God, rose to #13 as his US tour ebbed. Alan Mindell’s horse racing novel “The B Team” (#14) perservered thanks to continued interest in the author’s new website and blog and his appearance schedule. Brian Koscienski’s and Chris Pisano’s “The Devil’s Grasp” returned to the chart at #15 due to author appearances at conventions. Lawrence Knorr’s “A Pennsylvania Mennonite and the California Gold Rush” (#17) made another appearance on the chart thanks to large orders from the Golden State. Beth Lancione’s two Solomon Screech Owl books “Galapagos” (#19) and “First Flight” (#20) returned to the chart thanks to planned appearances by her son. Dennis Herrick’s “Winter of the Metal People” held at #21 due to his appearance schedule in New Mexico. Anthony Julian’s “Pit Bulls” continued its streak on the chart at #22. “Freemasons at Gettysburg” by Sheldon Munn seized #24 thanks to orders from gift shops in and around Gettysburg. Mike Campbell’s “Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last” took #25 as interest continues in the lost aviatrix. “Forts, Forests, and Flintlocks,” the most recent volume in John L. Moore’s “Frontier Pennsylvania” series was #28 thanks to regional sales. Judi Markowitz’s medical memoir about her daughter, “The View from Four Foot Two,” returned to the chart at #29. Ernie Marshall’s account of the last conflict between battleships, That Night at Surigao, was #30, thanks to author activity.

The company released eight new titles during the month of October.

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for October, 2015

Lady Moguls

William A Cook

Baseball History

White River Monster (combined)

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

The Devil Tree II: The Calling

Keith Rommel

Thriller Fiction

The Keeper of the Crows

Kyle Alexander Romines

Thriller Fiction

Blue Lines Up In Arms

James Craig Atchison

Detective Fiction

The Politics of Prevailing

William Miller

Education

The Penns’ Manor of Spread Eagle and the Grist Mills of the Mahantongo Valley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sunbury Press has released Kyle Alexander Romine’s debut novel The Keeper of the Crows, a super-natural thriller.

No evil can remain buried forever, as disgraced journalist Thomas Brooks discovers when a wave of death grips the rural Kentucky town of Gray Hollow in terror.

Following a very public humiliation, Thomas is looking for a story to get him back on the map—and free of the small town newspaper where he serves out his exile. The apparent murder of a stranger seems to be just what the opportunistic reporter needs, until he discovers the death is merely the start of something bigger.

Also investigating the murder is Sheriff Jezebel Woods, who doesn’t approve of Thomas’ sensationalist intentions. Mounting deaths force the pair to set aside their differences to confront a force that threatens to destroy the entire town.

At the center of the mystery is the disappearance of a boy named Salem Alistair, who designed a series of grotesque scarecrows for his parents’ farm—scarecrows that are turning up at each subsequent crime scene. Thomas begins to doubt his uneasy alliance with the sheriff when he realizes Jezebel has her own secret history with Salem Alistair.

Thomas and Jezebel are completely unprepared to face the supernatural force at odds with Gray Hollow. As the killings continue, and the town slowly begins to yield its dark secrets, the truth will pit Thomas and Jezebel on a collision course with true evil.

EXCERPT:
… Jeff hastily brought the aluminum can up to his lips and choked down the frothy liquid.

“Ugh,” he grunted. It was warm. The vehicle bounced over the gravel rocks, causing him to spill the remainder of the beer on his jacket. “Stupid truck,” he muttered as he glanced at the gas gauge. There was barely enough fuel to get back into town. Jeff hurled the empty can down on the floorboard and brought the vehicle to a halt. A rusty metal gate barred his entry to the farm. Jeff almost laughed when he saw the locks fastened around the wooden post.

Like anyone would want to break in here, he thought.

The sun waned above, casting an orange glow on the farm. An old barn stood nearly twenty feet beyond the fence. Like his truck, the barn’s red paint was faded, and planks of rotten wood contributed to a general state of disarray. A cornfield rested just outside the barn, with a small grassy hill overlooking the whole property. Jeff grabbed a cooler from the back of his truck and hoisted it over the gate adjoining the wooden fence. A wave of reluctance washed across him when he rested his hands on the cold metal. After hesitating, Jeff shook his head and yielded to the silent calling that prompted his return to the abandoned farm. It wasn’t like anyone was going to find him out here. The farm lay deserted since the last member of the Alistair family passed away almost twenty years ago. The government now owned the property. All the while the Alistair farm lingered in limbo, waiting. Waiting for him.

“Here goes nothing,” Jeff said before he began climbing over the fence. A blast of freezing wind sent a chill through him, but it was too late to turn back now. He trudged through thick piles of multi-hued leaves. Dusk was fast approaching over the October horizon. Jeff stared into the thick rows of corn. He remembered all too well what secret lay hidden within. That the corn would still be growing in an ordered pattern after all these years disturbed him for some reason. He caughtanother chill, this one not from the cool breeze.

The government probably planted them, he thought. Even as the words formed in his head, Jeff found the probability unlikely. He didn’t understand why the town would waste money by planting corn in an abandoned field. As he rounded the corner, Jeff spotted a dark figure in the cornfield. He nearly jumped out of his skin before realizing the figure wasn’t human. A stitched amalgamation of cloth and straw hung from a pole that towered above the rows.

“It’s just a scarecrow,” he said to himself, letting out a sigh of relief.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kyle Alexander Romines is a teller of tales from the hills of Kentucky. He enjoys good reads, thunderstorms, and anything edible. The Keeper of the Crows is his first published book. His writing interests include fantasy, science fiction, horror, and western.

Kyle’s lifelong love of books began with childhood bedtime stories and was fostered by his parents and teachers. He grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes, RL Stine’s Goosebumps series, and Harry Potter. His current list of favorites includes Justin Cronin’s The Passage, Hard Country by Michael McGarrity, and Red Rising by Pierce Brown. The library is his friend.

Kyle discovered a passion for writing after graduating high school, which resulted in the completion of three novel length manuscripts before The Keeper of the Crows. These fledgling attempts at writing taught him a great deal, and since writing Keeper he has worked to continue honing his skills. He hopes to continue writing as long as he has stories to tell.